Mote con Huesillo is this drink. Its like an orange testicle in a juice and anyway, I was drinking one of these, and watching a rodeo stadium fill up with all types of people. I´d understood that there was some type of fashion show, but as I sucked on the orange testicle, I learned it was a military band that the people had come to see. The second of October marks the Battle for Rancagua, and it drew people out of their homes in hordes. “Sunny weather, happy people, perfect conditions for Street Performance” I commented to the Mote con Huesillo seller. She smiled an empty smile that means “I don´t know what you are talking about, but may your wishes come true”. I paid her and went to get my performance ready. In Santiago I had a custom made case made. It is 150 centimeters long, and 40 centimeters wide. If oozies weigh a tonne, this weighs like twenty oozies with all my gear inside it. But it has got wheels and I drag it through the streets, and people look and all types of ideas occur. Some think I am a golfer, others have thought I am a surfer, and the bus driver thought I was trafficking humans; he wanted to charge me two tickets! On this particular day, I was dragging the case down a street and heard horse hoofs approaching. It was a posse of Chilean cowboys, aka Huasos. Huasos come in all shapes and sizes, they range from as young as 4 all the way up to 99 years old, suitable ages for most board games. But instead of playing board games, Huasos wear stiff wide brim hats that you could balance your glass of Mote con Huesillo on while taking a break between sips. One of the huasos offered to carry my case on his horse, then we swapped hats, then his Huaso posse urged us to kiss. Before the moment got too Brokeback Mountain, we were separated by destiny. The plaza where I was headed was to the left, and the pub where the Huasos were headed was to the right. We farewelled one another with heterosexual handshakes.
The Plaza was buzzing with people. There was an opera setting up on a stage. There were teenagers grinding fifty fifties along waxed up plazas ledges. Other teenagers doing parcour somersaults off benches. A little kid with his grandparents copy all these teenagers and their tricks. And amidst this I opened my case and began to get the show ready. But as is too often the case, I had left behind something integral to my show in my friend´s house. Thankfully she ran all the way home, and then back again with the missing bits and pieces, but the opera had now started! I did a bit of surveillance, and discovered a peatonal shopping strip next to the plaza. We wandered down and I saw an old codger with a puppet and an amplifier making the puppet dance is sexually suggestive movements to the popular songs, a sure winner! And he had an audience. Across from him their was a man with telescope selling you the opportunity to look at Venus. There were a couple of girls gawking up at the sky, and next to him, on the corner, there were two posts, at an apt distance apart for me to install my show. I cranked up Magical Mystical Tour, and began to get changed. And quickly there was an audience gathering around. The people, clearly tired out from watching Military fashion shows and sexy dancing puppets and Venus, were at first a little hard to win over, but as a man after show told me “you won the audience over in a three count”. Sharing the horrifically ridiculous stories of my falls, and performing silly talents whilst balancing on the rope, went down well to cap off the great Battle of Rancagua day. A day where Huasos and Huesillos brought peace to Rancagua.
